Venting valve construction for refillable pressurized dispensers



0d. 21, 1969 w. R. ODONNELL 3,473,704

VENTING VALVE CONSTRUCTION FOR REFILLABLE PRESSURIZED DISPENSERS Filed April 18, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5

- INVENTOR lggkham R O'Donnell,

AGENT US. Cl. ZZZ-402.16 14 claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pressure-fill aerosol valve construction having a depressible hollow valve stem through which the product discharge occurs, the valve stem being vertically movable in a valve housing between a raised, shut-off position and either a deep depressed filling position or a shallow depressed discharging position. The valve housing is carried in a mounting cup. Between the housing and the cup there is an air vent passage communicating with the container interior. For the deep filling position of the valve stem the air vent passage communicates also with the atmosphere, through a valve controlled by and forming part of the valve stem.

CROSS REFERENCES (1) US. Patent No. 3,131,733. (2) US. Patent No. 3,158,298. (3) US. Patent No. 3,160,182. (4) US. Patent No. 3,173,457. (5) US. Patent No. 3,206,080. (6) US. Patent No. 3,237,659. (7) US. Patent No. 3,283,963.

BACKGROUND This invention relates to small hand-held aerosol dispensers, and more particularly to the dispensing valve constructions of dispensers of the refillable type intended to be pressure filled, as from another pressurized dispenser.

In many prior refillable aerosol dispensers the recharging, effected by a pressure fill through a hollow depressible valve stem, trapped some air or inert gas in the container as the charge was injected. This volume of trapped inert gas or air, although compressed to an extent and therefore having potential propellant properties, actually constituted an inefiicient propellant medium and undesirably occupied space which could advantageously be used by the much more effective Freon or equivalent liquid or gas. Where venting of the trapped air was possible in prior valves, the full possibilities of such action were not realized, and difficulties were encountered in maintaining a tight seal when the dispenser was not in use, in clearly separating the charging and dispensing functions, and in attaining the necessary simplicity and low cost.

SUMMARY The present invention obviates the above disadvantages of prior refillable dispensers, and one object of the invention is to provide an improved venting valve construction for refillable pressurized dispensers, wherein an effective, full and complete exhausting of trapped gases and air is had from the container during the refilling or recharging of the same. This is accomplished by the provision of at least one venting passage between the plastic valve housing of the valve construction and the metal mounting cup for the valve housing, and by a supplemental valve means which includes the hollow valve stem and which controls the flow or egress of air through the venting passage.

te States Patent 0 Other objects and advantages are to provide an improved combination dispensing and venting-type refill valve construction which is especially simple, efiicient and effective in operation, low in cost, leakproof and otherwise foolproof, and which has relatively few parts, being easily and quickly fabricated and assembled; and to provide a combination valve as above, which automatically vents air from the container being recharged yet prevents leakage during normal dispensing, all while employing a refill procedure which, for all practical purposes, is the same simple push or depress motion involving a protruding depressible valve stem as heretofore utilized in non-venting filling or recharging.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of an aerosol dispenser and pressure-fill valve construction as provided by the invention, the valve means being shown in its closed condition.

FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of the dispenser and valve construction of FIG. 1, connected with a recharging or supply device. The valve stem of the dispenser is shown in the deeply depressed, charging position with the depress button removed from the valve stem.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container and valve assemblage of the dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2, the actuator or depress button being removed.

FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of the dispenser container and valve construction, showing the valve stem in a shallow depressed, dispensing position.

Considering first FIG. 2, there is illustrated a pressurized, charging or supply dispenser 10 coupled to a charge-receiving dispenser 12, this arrangement being popularly known as a mothendaughter combination. The supply dispenser 10 is the mother dispenser Whereas the daughter dispenser is the unit 12.

The present invention essentially involves improvements in the daughter dispenser and particularly in the valve construction 14 of such dispenser, by which a venting of the trapped air and gases in the container thereof is effected during the charging operation illustrated in FIG. 2.

The rechargeable dispenser 12 comprises a container 16 having a neck portion 18 to which there is attached a metal mounting cup 20, this being effected by means of an annular rirn 22 having its bottom edge 24 crimped in under the rim of the neck portion 18. To effect a tight seal between the mounting cup 20 and the rim of the container 16, a fiat annular sealing gasket 26 can be provided, disposed within the mounting cup 20 and against the top rim of the neck 18.

The mounting cup 20 carries a tubular valve housing 28 having open upper and lower ends constituting liquid passages, having at its upper end a rim portion 30 which is secured in a central raised portion or shell 32 of the mounting cup 20, said raised shell being in the form of an inverted cup and having a stepped transverse top wall 34, 36 including an annular shoulder 37, an annular peripheral portion surrounding the shoulder and an upwardly displaced central portion within the shoulder.

The valve housing 23 has a lower portion 38 of reduced diameter, on which there is press-fitted a dip tube 40. Vertically movable in the valve housing 28 is a valve stem 42 having intermediate its ends an annular shoulder 44 adapted to control the flow of liquid through the hous ing by engagement with a valve disk 46 which latter sealingly engages the top rim portion 30 of the valve housing 28. The valve stem 42 passes upward through a center opening in the top wall portion 36 of the mounting cup 21) and frictionally carries at its top a removable actuator or depress button 48.

The inner walls of the valve housing 28 have longitudinal ribs whose lower portions slidably engage the lower end of the valve stem 42 and constitute a guide for the stem. The stem 42 carries a helical valve return spring 52 engaging shoulders of the ribs 59 and also the underside of the annular shoulder 44 of the valve stem 42.

Referring to FIG. 1, showing the raised, closed condition of the valve stem 42 it will be seen that the valve spring 52 is maintaining the stem in such position wherein the shoulder 44 thereof engages the underside of the valve disk 46, preventing any discharge of the liquid contents from the container 16.

The upper portion of the valve stem 42 has an axial bore 54 which communicates with a side opening 56 in the stem, located directly above the annular shoulder 44.

Referring to FIG. 4 showing the shallow-depressed dispensing or discharging position of the valve stem 42 it will be seen that the button 48 is held depressed by the users fingers, and that the side opening 56 of the stem is exposed to the interior of the valve housing 28. The annular shoulder 44 of the stem is separated from the valve disk 46. In consequence, communication is established between the axial bore 54 of the valve stem 42 and the interior of the valve housing, whereby the pressurized contents of the container 16 will discharge upward through the dip tube 40, up into the valve housing 28, through the side opening 56 of the valve stem and bore 54 thereof and out through the discharge channel of the depress button 48. Such discharge action is well known in the art.

In accordance with the present invention the valve stem 42 in addition to having a shallow depressed dispensing position as shown in FIG. 4, additionally has a deep depressed, filling position as illustrated in FIG. 2, and means are provided, which effect a venting that can carry ofi trapped air from the container 16 during the charging or filling operation wherein the valve stem is deeply depressed. In accomplishing this the valve stem 42 is formed to have an exterior slot or air passage. Also, the mounting cup 20 and sealing means associated therewith are arranged to provide venting passages which communicate with the interior of the container 16 and with the air passage of the valve stem 42 at the time that the latter is deeply depressed. In consequence, there exists an exhaust route for trapped air from the container 16 as the latter is being charged or filled with the pressurized product.

As shown, the air passage means associated directly with the stem 42 comprises an exterior longitudinal slot 58 in the upper portion of the stem and further includes a valve comprising a second and fairly rigid valve disk 60 which is disposed in the mounting cup 20, adjacent and broadside to the top wall portion 36 thereof, said second valve disk being positioned by the annular shoulder 37 of the mounting cup as well as by the first mentioned valve disk 46. The shoulder 37 is crimped inward against the disk '60 to hold it in place. The valve also comprises the grooved portions of the stem 42 as well as the disk 60, these being later referred to as cooperable means on the stem and cup. The mounting cup 20 or more properly the central upwardly displaced shell thereof has outwardly and upwardly offset portions 62 which are spaced from the valve housing 28, and from the valve disk 46, and which constitute interior venting channels or passages 64 that communicate with the interior of the container 16 at a location adjacent the inner periphery of the sealing washer 26. Also, the venting passages 64 communicate with the air passage means associated with the stem 42, via the space between the valve disks 46, 60 when the latter are separated as a consequence of downward movement of the valve stem 42, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, whereby access can be had or not had with the atmosphere. The space between the disks 46 and 60 can be considered as part of the air passage means associated with the stem 42.

It will be noted that in FIG. 4 the exterior groove 58 or the valve stem is not disposed below the second valve washer 60. Accordingly, there is no communication between the atmosphere and the interior of the mounting cup 20 via the groove 58. However, considering FIG. I wherein the depress button 48 is removed and the dispenser 12 is being recharged from the dispenser 10, it will be seen that the exterior groove 58 of the valve stem 42 is now in a distinctly lower position wherein it communicates with the space between the valve washers 46. 60. In consequence, for the recharging position of FIG. 2, a continuous venting occurs between the upper interior portion of the container 16 and the atmosphere, via the venting channels 64, space between the separated valve washers 46, 60, and exterior groove 58 of the valve stem 42. Thus, as the product which is being injected flows into the container 16 the air and gases in the latter are discharged to the atmosphere, facilitating the filling of the container.

Referring to FIG. 2, the aerosol substance which is being transferred from the mother dispenser 10 to the daughter dispenser 12 flows downward through the valve stem 66 of the mother dispenser, through the bore 52 of the deeply depressed valve stem 42 of the daughter dispenser, outward through the side opening 56 of the valve stem, downward through the valve housing 28 and into the bottom of the container 16 via the dip tube 40. The air and gases being displaced by the charge are vented as described above, during this recharging operation.

It will be understood that the valve stem 66 of the mother dispenser 10 is in a depressed position as shown in FIG. 2, whereby a discharge of the pressurized product from the dispenser 10 occurs. It is noted again that for the charging condition illustrated in FIG. 2, the exterior groove 58 of the valve stem 42 extends below the second valve washer 60 to produce venting to the atmosphere, whereas in the dispensing condition illustrated in FIG. 4. the groove 58 does not extend below the second valve washer 60.

In FIG. 4 the valve stem 42 cannot be moved to the deeply depressed position for the reason that the depress button 48 abuts the top wall 36 of the mounting cup 20 to limit the stem movement and prevent its being shifted to the charging position of FIG. 2.

It will now be understood from the foregoing that l have provided a novel and improved pressure-fill aerosol valve construction which is so constituted that a venting of the trapped air in the container occurs when the valve stem is depressed to the charging position, thereby to enable a more complete and expeditious filling or recharging of the container to be effected. However, such venting does not occur during the normal dispensing actuation of the valve stem after the dispenser has been recharged and is again being placed in operation by the user. The valve construction involves relatively few parts which may be easily manufactured and assembled. The construction is leakproof by virtue of the effective seal established under the action of the valve return spring 52, forcing the annular shoulder 44 of the valve stem up against the primary valve disk 46 and maintaining the latter secured engaged with the secondary valve disk 60.

Variations and modifications of the structure disclosed are possible I claim:

1. A pressure-fill valve construction for small pressurized hand-held dispensers of the type having a container in which liquid is carried, said valve construction comprising, in combination:

(a) a tubular valve housing for mounting on the container, said housing having liquid passages at its upper and lower ends,

(b) a valve disk sealed to the upper end of the valve housing,

(c) a valve stem vertically movable in the valve housing between a raised, closed position and either i deep depressed filling position or a shallow depressed discharging position, said stem having a shoulder located intermediate its ends and arranged to be engageable with the valve disk when the stem is in the raised position, thereby to control liquid flow through the housing from the container,

(d) a mounting cup engaged with the upper end portion of the valve housing to mount the housing on the container, said cup having 21 depending peripheral skirt adapted to clamp to the container lip, and having a central wall engaged with said upper end portion of the valve housing, said valve stem passing through the valve disk and mounting cup,

(e) means providing an air vent passage extending between the exterior of the valve housing and the central wall of the mounting cup, said air vent passage communicating with the interior of the container, and

(f) air passage means including a valve controlled by said valve stem, providing for access of said vent passage to the atmosphere when the valve stem is in the deep depressed position, said means shutting ofi the air vent passage from the atmosphere for both the raised position and the shallow depressed position of the valve stem,

(g) said means which provides the air vent passages comprising outwardly offset portions of the mounting cup, providing a spacing between said ofiset portions and valve housing,

(h) said outwardly offset portions being spaced from the valve disk and define therewith the said vent passages.

2. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) the means providing air vent passages comprises outwardly otfset portions of the walls of the mounting cup, providing a spacing between said offset portions and upper end portion of the valve housing.

3. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 2,

wherein:

(a) the outwardly otfset portions are spaced from the valve disk and define therewith the said vent passages.

4. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 2,

wherein:

(a) the outwardly offset portions are spaced from the valve disk and define therewith the said vent passages.

5. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) the said valve comprises cooperable means on the valve stem and mounting cup, providing a vent past the stem when the latter is deeply depressed.

6. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 5,

wherein:

(a) the said cooperable means comprises a second valve disk surrounding the valve stem,

(b) said first valve disk separating from the second valve disk when the valve stem is in deeply depressed position and said disks defining between them a portion of said air passage means.

7. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) the said valve comprises a second valve disk surrounding the valve stem and disposed broadside to and in engagement with both the mounting cup and the first-mentioned valve disk,

(b) said shoulder of the valve stem pressing against the first-mentioned valve disk and pressing the latter against the second valve disk when the stem is in its raised position, thereby to effect a seal between said shoulder and disks.

8. A pressure-fill valve construction for small pressurized hand-held dispensers of the type having a container in which liquid is carried, said valve construction comprising, in combination:

(a) a tubular valve housing for mounting on the container, said housing having liquid passages at its upper and lower ends,

(b) a valve disk sealed to the upper end of the valve housing,

(0) a valve stem vertically movable in the valve housing between a raised, closed position and either a deep depressed filling position or a shallow depressed discharging position, said stem having a shoulder located intermediate its ends and arranged to be engageable with the valve disk when the stem is in the raised position, thereby to control liquid flow through the housing from the container,

(d) a mounting cup engaged with the upper end of the valve housing to mount the same on the container, said valve stem passing through the valve disk and mounting cup,

(e) means providing an air vent passage extending between the valve housing and the mounting cup, said air vent passage communicating with the interior of the container, and

(f) air passage means including a valve controlled by said valve stem, providing for access of said vent passage to the atmosphere when the valve stem is in the deep depressed position, said means shutting off the air vent passage from the atmosphere for both the raised position and the shallow depressed position of the valve stem,

(g) said valve comprising cooperable means on the valve stem and mounting cup, providing a vent past the stem when the latter is deeply depressed,

(h) said cooperable means comprising grooved portions of the valve stem and a second valve disk surrounding the valve stem and cooperable with the grooved portions thereof, said second valve disk being carried by the mounting cup.

9. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 8,

wherein:

(a) the first valve disk is separated from the second valve disk when the valve stem is in the deeply depressed position, said disks defining between them a portion of said air passage means.

10. A pressure-fill valve construction for small pressurized hand-held dispensers of the type having a container in which liquid is carried, said valve construction comprising, in combination:

(a) a tubular valve housing for mounting on the container, said housing having liquid passages at its upper and lower ends,

(b) a valve disk sealed to the upper end of the valve housing,

(c) a valve stem vertically movable in the valve housing between a raised, closed position and either a deep depressed filling position or a shallow depressed discharging position, said stern having a shoulder located intermediate its ends and arranged to be engageable with the valve disk when the stem is in the raised position, thereby to control liquid flow through the housing from the container,

(d) a mounting cup engaged with the upper end of the valve housing to mount the same on the container, said valve stem passing through the valve disk and mounting cup,

(e) means providing an air vent passage extending between the valve housing and the mounting cup, said air vent passage communicating with the interior of the container, and

(f) air passage means including a valve controlled by said valve stem, providing for access of said vent passage to the atmosphere when the valve stem is in the deep depressed position, said means shutting ed the air vent passage from the atmosphere for both the raised position and the shallow depressed position of the valve stem.

(g) said valve comprising a second valve disk surrounding the valve stem and disposed broadside to and in engagement with both the mounting cup and the first-mentioned valve disk,

(b) said shoulder of the valve stem pressing against the first-mentioned valve disk and pressing the latter against the second valve disk when the stem is in its raised position, thereby to eifect a seal between said shoulder and disks.

11. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 10,

wherein:

(a) said valve includes exterior grooved portions of the valve stem which are cooperable with the second valve disk to control the flow of vented air through said disk.

12. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 10,

wherein:

(a) the mounting cup comprises a raised central shell provided with a stepped top wall including an annular peripheral portion and an upwardly displaced central portion through which latter the valve stem passes,

(b) said second valve disk being disposed in and positioned by said displaced central portion.

'13. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 12.

wherein:

(a) the first-mentioned valve disk is engaged with and positioned by the annular peripheral portion of the central shell,

(b) said central shell having upward and radially outward oifset portions spaced from the first-mentioned valve disk and providing the said air vent passage.

14. A pressure-fill valve construction as in claim 12,

wherein:

(a) said central shell being crimped inward and seizing the second valve disk to secure the same against displacement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,357,603 12/1967 Kitabayashi 222402.i6

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner E. J. EARLS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

